Florida linebacker Mohamoud Diabate already has a strong relationship with Gators interim defensive coordinator Christian Robinson.

Robinson has been the Gators’ linebackers coach since 2018, coming over from Mississippi State when Dan Mullen took the job in Gainesville prior to that season. He added the title of interim defensive coordinator just days after the team’s loss to South Carolina after Todd Grantham was fired.

With Florida preparing to face Samford on Saturday – the first of 3 regular-season games left on the schedule – it will be desperate to get what was a brutal loss on the road against the Gamecocks behind it.

“He’s bringing tremendous energy, juice, encouragement to the players. The younger guys are coming up to me after practice, ‘Yeah, we like Rob’,” Diabate said on Wednesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson.

Diabate also added that the team is all-in with time running down on the 2021 campaign.

Florida and Samford kick off at noon ET Saturday, a streaming-only game that will be shown on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.